Wednesday, June 22, 2016

To prepare for any chronic pain coping technique, it is important to
learn how to use focus and deep breathing to relax the body. Learning to
relax takes practice, especially when you are in pain, but it is
definitely worth it to be able to release muscle tension throughout the
body and start to remove attention from the pain.
Coping techniques for chronic pain begin with controlled deep breathing, as follows:

Try putting yourself in a relaxed, reclining position in a dark room. Either shut your eyes or focus on a point.

Then begin to slow down your breathing. Breathe deeply, using your
chest. If you find your mind wandering or you are distracted, then think
of a word, such as the word "Relax," and think it in time with your
breathing...the syllable "re" as you breathe in and "lax" as you breathe
out.

Continue with about 2 to 3 minutes of controlled breathing.

Once you feel yourself slowing down, you can begin to use imagery techniques.